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Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Politically Correct. Not That There's Anything Wrong With That...

Everyone does it. No one really wants to offend anyone. Sometimes we try to clarify what we mean and sometimes that comes across as being politically correct. In some ways it is.
Do you remember the Seinfeld episode called “The Outing”? In this episode George and Jerry are mistakenly viewed as being gay. As they discuss this they deny it by saying, “We’re not Gay! …not that there’s anything wrong with that…”
Well this is a typical person trying not to be offensive. They are being politically correct.
I think that it’s not a horrible thing to not want to be offensive. We all should be more kind. But sometimes that can be to the extreme …not that there’s anything wrong with that…
Here’s the deal. There’s a fine line between political correctness and not being offensive. I think I may have been seen as being racist or sexist at times. I don’t think that I am. I don’t want anyone to be discriminated against because of race or gender. We should give people the benefit of the doubt. But I also think that we should not be stupid with this and call everyone who may not get along with other cultures a racist. There are times when all of us have a personality clash with another person. Sometimes the foundation of that difference may have to do with a cultural difference. Often cultural differences mean a different race. If I don’t agree with “Black Lives Matters” does that make me racist if I am a different race? I don’t think it does but many people like to throw out their race card.
Today, we’re left to deal with the dangers of our politically correct society; one where society paints good guys as bad. If you choose to carry a firearm, defend yourself, or even consider taking another human’s life to protect a loved one, you’re demonized. It’s a sad state indeed, but we’re finally reaping what we’ve sowed.
Why is this such a hard concept to grasp and why is there so much push back? My gut tells me it’s simply about control. There are many groups within our country who don’t want life, liberty or the pursuit of happiness to be extolled. Instead, they want you to fall in line and live according to their ideas. If that notion doesn’t scare the crap out of you, then you’re probably on the wrong side of this discussion.
I loved growing up as a kid, sleeping with my windows open and sometimes even the doors open. It was a great time to be a kid for sure, but today we live in a drastically different world.
It shouldn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out many crimes are targeted against defenseless or weak targets. I wonder why that is; I wonder if we could look at the animal kingdom and see a similar pattern? Could it be that the lioness is chasing after the weaker of the prey in order to guarantee a meal? If she fails to catch and kill her prey, she doesn’t eat. It really is that simple; in order to increase the chances of success, evil will choose the weaker or soft target.
A new study released by Stanford University entitled “Mass Shootings of America” or MSA has determined that most mass shootings were largely conducted in “gun free” zones. No kidding? I think I’ll fall over and die from that surprise (dripping with sarcasm). If anyone is still convinced gun free zones are safe, they’re ignorant.
“The definition of mass shooting used for the Stanford database is 3 or more shooting victims (not necessarily fatalities), not including the shooter. The shooting must not be identifiably gang or drug related. The motive typically appears to be indiscriminate killing.”
If we know they’ll more than likely target gun free zones, what can we do to help deter them from doing so? Many are quick to comment that the presence of armed, uniformed officers or security guards is enough and while I believe it’s a step in the right direction, it’s not the only solution.
Being politically correct gets people killed. I’m not advocating being racist, sexist, or just plain mean. But we should be able to speak plainly. We have been attacked by Islamic extremists. Is it too much to ask that we are careful with Muslims coming into this country? Is it too much to ask that an American Muslim do their best to show their patriotism and allegiance to the U.S.? I know this is not particularly fair, but it is reality. Black people have dealt with this unfairly for years. If you want change in this country you must be patient. Sometimes a generation must pass away. I would hope that is not the case with real change. My Grandfather fired hands on his farm in the 40’s because they were treating paid black farm hands horribly. He was from a generation where discrimination against blacks was very common, but he understood how wrong it was.
We can be this way too. We can recognize how wrong it is to profile people and to stereotype them into any type of pigeon hole. We can see people for who they are regardless of their culture or skin color. There are jerks and idiots of every color.
The First Amendment of the Constitution guarantees that I can say whatever I want in this country. There is a reason that this is the first amendment of the Bill of rights. Many of the other bills are connected to this free expression. But also, you will notice that the very first thing that the forefathers of this country wanted to establish was freedom of religion. Religion was before free speech in this amendment. I think that is significant.
Everyone has an opinion. Everyone should be able to express that opinion. I feel that illegal aliens in this country should not be able to enjoy the fruits of this country. My opinion is that what part of “illegal” do we not understand? If I do something illegal I must pay the price of that broken law. Does this make me anti-Mexican? I don’t think it does. Talk to a Border Patrol agent and he will tell you he gets just as many OTM’s (other than Mexican) trying to enter this country illegally. Immigration is not just about Mexicans. Liberal thinking sometimes makes me want to be that “ugly conservative”. Liberal views often paint anyone against typical liberal causes, like immigration, as racists. I think President Obama has perpetuated this ridicules attitude. I’m not a Donald Trump fan, but he often says things that he feels and is labeled for it. Politically correct people often paint the first amendment as something that is limited to agreeing with them. Sometimes freedom of speech is not nice. This is where I think people should be kind, not politically correct.
There is a comic strip where a black boy says to his white friend “I like being black.” The white boy says “I like being white”. The last panel is the black boy saying, “Racist!” This is how it has become. There are times when I agree with the T-shirt slogan I saw the other day:
“Politically Correct
A term used to describe whiney, overly sensitive pansies who need the big, bad, real world all sugar-coated.” There is another that I will end this article with.
“You find it offensive? I find it funny. That’s why I’m happier than you.”
Semper Paratus
Check 6
Burn